Atlanta, GA – Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia collaborated with AT&T on September 22 to provide more than 60 students from the Junior Achievement Magnet Business Academy (JA-MBA) at Banneker High School with job mentoring. The teens participated in a job shadow event with AT&T employee mentors as a part of the AT&T Job Mentoring Program. This event was one of many that will be held at JA Areas across the country during the 2015-16 school year. AT&T is seeking to increase the number of students with impacted by mentors in their lives, and intends to spend 1 million hours mentoring students by the end of 2016. 

The JA-MBA is a comprehensive high school program that creates immersive and authentic experiences by integrating real-world experiences and opportunities to transform the traditional high school experience. In its first year at Banneker High School, the freshman class of 150 students is led by six JA-trained teachers who deliver a blended curriculum consisting of traditional common core standards, interdisciplinary studies, and site visits like the AT&T Job Mentoring Program.  

The AT&T Job Mentoring Program aligns with this mission by enabling students to get out of the classroom, engage with the community and get the hands-on training to develop skills for future success. 

"We are grateful to AT&T for giving their efforts and time to provide an authentic experience for our students," said Jack Harris, President & CEO of JA of Georgia. "They not only learn, but actually get to experience corporate culture and some of the challenges that today's employers are facing."

Building on the success of the earlier AT&T/JA Job Shadow initiative, which provided students with more than 100,000 job shadow opportunities, AT&T employees shared life experiences and career advice through project-based activities during the workday. The students were exposed to things as simple as dressing the part and seeing a board room for the first time, to more intricate parts of the business world like balancing client relationships and international business. 

To learn more, visit: about.att.com/content/csr/home/possibilities/at-t-aspire.html

About Community Engagement at AT&T

At AT&T, Community Engagement means engaging our employees to build healthy, connected, and thriving communities where we live and do business. Employees are focused on three key issues: improving educational outcomes, building sustainable communities and promoting the responsible use of technology. In 2013, AT&T employees and retirees volunteered more than 5.3 million hours of time in community outreach activities worth more than $118 million and pledged more than $35 million for charities of their choice through employee giving. Employees also committed to more than 23,500 sustainable choices through Do One Thing (DOT), which invites employees to make small, everyday choices that add up to a big positive impact for themselves, the community and/or the company.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

AT&T Inc. is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs. In 2013, more than $130 million was contributed or directed through corporate-, employee-, social investment- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T's signature education initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring.